Official MiLB/Prospects Thread

[Daniel Labude]

If you remember, he actually did leave for a split second with AA, but then appeared to change his mind and came back. He's been very very good in his role.

 

On that front, they're in line to sign BA's #11 guy and #1 ranked catcher in next year's IFA class. Should be pretty excited given that whoever the hell has been scouting catchers over there has seemingly been freakishly good.

 

Who are they?

[Brownie19]

Andrew Tinnish has really done an excellent job with the international scouting the past couple years.

 

Glad he stuck around. I was positive AA was going to poach him for the Braves.

 

Tinnish is my boy. He did consider joining AA, but quickly pulled the shoot. Didn't want to uproot the family and leave Canada. Thank god for that. He's a local Canadian boy too, so I have to think working for the Jays is a lifelong dream you don't give up easily.

[Spanky__99]

No idea what source this guy is reporting from, but this news makes sense given that Frasso came out throwing high 90's and then disappeared off the map quickly:

 

 

Damn... didn't know that. Sucks. He WAS supposed to move up quickly, ah well... get healthy kid.

[BlueRocky]

2022 int’l class

11

Luis Meza

Venezuela

C

VIDEO

Notes:

Born: Sept. 11, 2004. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 5-11. Wt.: 185.

 

Venezuela consistently is home to top international catchers, with Diego Cartaya (Dodgers), Francisco Alvarez (Mets) and Ronnier Quintero (Cubs) in the most recent signing classes. Meza fits into that tier of players as a catcher who projects to stick behind the plate and is one of the better hitters in Venezuela. He has a loose, easy swing with a knack for being on time and strong game performance. He's a high-contact hitter who uses the whole field, with room on his broad-shouldered frame to fill out and drive the ball with more impact as he gets stronger. Meza's catch-and-throw skills are also advanced for his age. The Blue Jays are expected to sign Meza, who trains with Kander Depablos and Reynaldo Gonzalez.

 

Keep in mind Badler ranks them by exp bonus money, not an actual talent ranking.

 

Also seems like the Jays are on a mission to develop the next Johnny Bench with the amount of catching in this system

[Ray]

Gotta give a shout-out to Sandy Rosario too who was hired as the head of international scouting in 2016. We’ve had great international classes since.

 

The overall quality of our scouting, international or amateur has gone up since Shapiro/Atkins joined. Ditto with player development, which was archaic until they got here.

[John Balkabella]

Good news, Kevin Smith in tonight’s lineup for Buffalo. Couldn’t have been serious.

[Laika]

Badler said today that Pardinho has been shut down with elbow soreness for the last month

[Spanky__99]

Badler said today that Pardinho has been shut down with elbow soreness for the last month

 

Welp...

[Krylian]

Badler said today that Pardinho has been shut down with elbow soreness for the last month

 

Teach him a knuckleball

[Krylian]

No idea what source this guy is reporting from, but this news makes sense given that Frasso came out throwing high 90's and then disappeared off the map quickly:

 

 

See you in 2023, Nick.

[Krylian]

Who are they?

 

The Raptors

[Krylian]

2022 int’l class

 

 

Keep in mind Badler ranks them by exp bonus money, not an actual talent ranking.

 

Also seems like the Jays are on a mission to develop the next Johnny Bench with the amount of catching in this system

 

They might already have him in Moreno.

[jaysguy44]

Beltre on a bit of a hot streak now?

[John Balkabella]

Vintage Dolis.

[Krylian]

Vintage Dolis.

 

Precursor to his minor league demotion?

[John Balkabella]

Precursor to his minor league demotion?

 

Nah, know it is the wrong thread, it wouldn’t delete for me.

[jaysguy44]

Nice little 3 hit night for Groshans.

[Krylian]

Nice little 3 hit night for Groshans.

 

Yup. Hoping the power starts to show itself in games soon

[Daniel Labude]

[BlueRocky]

Never in doubt.. my boys Orelvis Martinez & Manuel Beltre raking the lower minors.

[Krylian]

Never in doubt.. my boys Orelvis Martinez & Manuel Beltre raking the lower minors.

 

And Luis Meza next season.

[Benito]

Small sample size, but Martin has 1.071 ops in 6 games with Wichita. Still not showing much power, but if he can ever find it, man.

[InvincibleTiger]

And Luis Meza next season.

 

We're flipping loaded at catcher. Offload one for another young SP.

 

Manoah

Berrios

*Trade*

[AMS528]

Small sample size, but Martin has 1.071 ops in 6 games with Wichita. Still not showing much power, but if he can ever find it, man.

 

A 6/1 K/BB ratio will help that. Before he got traded he had dropped down his strikeout numbers and increased his walks. If nothing else works as well for him he has a pretty elite eye and could be an OBP machine at a corner outfield position

[Laika]

What are the comps for Austin Martin, anyway?

 

Try to find some MLB players with skill sets like this:

 

60+ hit tool with good plate discipline

below average game power

weak arm

average speed

not an everyday player at any premium position

 

The three positive examples I can think of are Adam Frazier, Nick Markakis without the arm and from 2009 on, and Howie Kendrick (but Kendrick was an aggressive hitter).

 

Maybe Adam Frazier is the best one there.

 

I guess a lot of hit tool predominant guys like Melky Cabrera could also be comparable.

 

I think in most instances this is a skill set that will spend a lot of seasons around 2 WAR, unless he can figure out how to lift/drive the ball more or how to be a plus CF/2B.

[Virgil_Hiltz]

What are the comps for Austin Martin, anyway?

 

Try to find some MLB players with skill sets like this:

 

60+ hit tool with good plate discipline

below average game power

weak arm

average speed

not an everyday player at any premium position

 

The three positive examples I can think of are Adam Frazier, Nick Markakis without the arm and from 2009 on, and Howie Kendrick (but Kendrick was an aggressive hitter).

 

Maybe Adam Frazier is the best one there.

 

I guess a lot of hit tool predominant guys like Melky Cabrera could also be comparable.

 

I think in most instances this is a skill set that will spend a lot of seasons around 2 WAR, unless he can figure out how to lift/drive the ball more or how to be a plus CF/2B.

 

Ben Zobrist?

[Laika]

Ben Zobrist?

 

That was one of the comps when Martin was drafted but it seems evident at this point that Zobrist had better tools across the board.

[Virgil_Hiltz]

That was one of the comps when Martin was drafted but it seems evident at this point that Zobrist had better tools across the board.

 

Im thinking more of his final role on a team..."jack of all trades but master of none" with some of the same tools.

Martin is just a half a yr into his career and some his tools may develop further or her could just flat-line but time will tell.

 

Seeing Berrios pitch for two games so far, I'm loving this trade more and more and I liked it from the start.

[TheHurl]

1. Gabriel Moreno, C

Age: 21. Team: Double-A New Hampshire

 

Moreno just keeps getting better. Signed out of Venezuela as an athletic catcher with good hand-eye coordination, Moreno made a lot of contact early in his career, but without much impact. He had a breakout season in 2019, then showed signs that the arrows were pointing up even more last year between the alternate training site and winter ball in Venezuela. In 2021, Moreno has developed into one of the game's premier prospects, behind only Baltimore's Adley Rutschman among the top catchers in the minors. A broken thumb sidelined Moreno at the end of June, but he has shown an exciting blend of hitting ability, power and athleticism behind the plate.

 

2. Nate Pearson, RHP

Age: 24. Team: Toronto

 

Pearson teases with his stuff and upside, but durability continues to be an issue. A first-round pick in 2017, Pearson threw 1.2 innings before a line drive broke his right forearm to end his season. The 101.2 innings he threw in 2019 with a carefully managed workload are his career high and probably will still be after the 2021 season, with an elbow injury last year and a sports hernia limiting him to just one big league game and six minor league appearances this year. Pearson still has the stuff to be a high-end pitcher when healthy, but his medical history is concerning.

 

3. Orelvis Martinez, SS/3B

Age: 19. Team: Low-A Dunedin

 

Martinez was one of the top international signings in the 2018 class and ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in his pro debut in 2019. The arrows have continued pointing up in 2021. Martinez hit for power before but he has started to tap into his plus raw juice even more this year. It has come at the expense of some extra strikeouts, but Martinez has shown advanced feel for hitting for his age, with a good chance he finds the right balance of contact and power as he matures. He's playing shortstop and third base now, projecting best at third.

 

4. Jordan Groshans, SS/3B

Age: 21. Team: Double-A New Hampshire

 

A first-round pick in 2018, Groshans hasn't played much since signing due to injuries and the pandemic. When he has been on the field, the results have been good. Despite playing just 23 games in Low-A in 2019, Groshans received an aggressive assignment by skipping High-A to become one of the top hitters in the Double-A Northeast. He has spent most of his time at shortstop, but he likely fits best long term at third base, where he has also gotten reps.

 

5. Alejandro Kirk, C

Age: 22. Team: Toronto

 

A left hip flexor strain sidelined Kirk for most of May and June, but when healthy he has continued to show the elite barrel skills that have been his trademark throughout his time in the minors. Kirk has good pitch recognition, strike-zone discipline and a short stroke that helps him square up both fastballs and breaking stuff with good plate coverage. While the emergence of Gabriel Moreno has given the Blue Jays a good problem to have regarding who is going to be their catcher of the future, Kirk has the skill set to be a regular behind the plate.

 

6. Gunnar Hoglund, RHP

Age: 21. Team: None

 

Hoglund looked on track to be a top 10 pick this year until he left his May 7 start for Mississippi and had Tommy John surgery. The Blue Jays snapped him up with the 19th overall pick. He won't pitch in games for them until next summer, but he has a promising three-pitch mix, throws strikes and has a good track record in the Southeastern Conference.

 

7. Otto Lopez, 2B/CF

Age: 22. Team: Double-A New Hampshire.

 

Lopez doesn't have big power or speed, but he's an instinctive baseball rat who continues to hit at a high level. He's an aggressive hitter who makes frequent contact with good bat control, winning a batting title in 2019 in the Low-A Midwest League and contending for another one in the Double-A Northeast this year.

 

8. Miguel Hiraldo, 2B/3B

Age: 19. Team: Low-A Dunedin.

 

Hiraldo has had a bat-driven profile since signing with the Blue Jays out of the Dominican Republic in 2017. He has good hand speed from a short, simple swing and uses his lower half well, though he hasn't shown a ton of power this year despite his bat speed and strength. Hiraldo split time between shortstop and second base last year, but he's now playing third and second base this year, with an offensive-minded profile at those spots.

 

9. Adam Kloffenstein, RHP

Age: 20. Team: High-A Vancouver.

 

Kloffenstein is one of Toronto's top pitching prospects, but he has had trouble syncing things up through the first few months of the season. Skipping a level to High-A Vancouver this year, the 6-foot-5 Kloffenstein has walked too many hitters, but he's still just 20 in High-A with an assortment of pitches that project to be 50-55 offerings on the 20-80 scale.

 

10. Manuel Beltre, SS

Age: 17. Team: Dominican Summer League

 

Beltre was the headline player from Toronto’s international class when the 2020-21 signing period opened this year on Jan. 15. Making his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League, Beltre is a polished hitter for his age with a short, simple swing and a good understanding of the strike zone, leading to a high contact rate and the potential to be a high on-base threat.

 

Prospects 11-30

 

11. Estiven Machado, SS

 

12. Victor Mesia, C

 

13. Yhoangel Aponte, OF

 

14. Luis Garcia, SS

 

NEW The Blue Jays signed Garcia out of Venezuela in January. He had shown slick defensive skills as an amateur with plus speed and a strong arm from a frame that lacked strength, but his offensive game has been impressive early on as well.

 

15. Sem Robberse, RHP

 

16. Ricky Tiedemann, LHP

 

NEW Toronto's third-round pick this year out of Golden West (Calif.) JC, Tiedemann is a 6-foot-4 lefty who sits at 89-92 mph and touches 94 with a plus changeup that he uses to miss bats and get off-balance swings.

 

17. Irv Carter, RHP

 

NEW The Blue Jays' fifth-round pick, Carter signed for an above slot bonus of $847,500. He's a 6-foot-4 righthander who has some effort and stiffness in his mechanics with a low-90s fastball that reaches 95 mph and a hard slider that could develop into an out pitch.

 

18. Kevin Smith, SS/3B

 

NEW Smith has been an enigmatic prospect, following an outstanding 2018 at two Class A levels with a floundering 2019 that saw his strikeout rate skyrocket as his swing looked out of sync all year. Now in Triple-A, Smith is hitting well again, cutting down on his swing and miss while also hitting for power.

 

19. C.J. Van Eyk, RHP

 

20. Eric Pardinho, RHP

 

21. Thomas Hatch, RHP

 

22. Chad Dallas, RHP

 

NEW Toronto’s 2021 fourth-round pick, Dallas is a 5-foot-11, 206-pound righthander who filled the strike zone at Tennessee with a fastball that sits at 91-93 mph and touches 97. He has a hard, downer curveball along with a mid-80s slider that both can miss bats, with an occasional changeup that’s a distant fourth pitch for him.

 

23. Patrick Murphy, RHP

 

24. Samad Taylor, 2B/OF/3B

 

NEW Taylor struggled to hit much at either of his Class A stops, but he's a plus runner who has performed well this year at Double-A New Hampshire and shown occasional power as well, albeit with a high swing-and-miss rate he will need to cut down on as he faces better pitching.

 

25. Leonardo Jimenez, SS

 

26. Tanner Morris, SS

 

27. Rikelvin De Castro, SS

 

28. Josh Palacios, OF

 

29. Will Robertson, OF

 

30. Dasan Brown, OF

[Scion]

Why is the industry so low on Kevin Smith? Am I missing something because from what I've read Smith grades out as an average or better defensive middle infielder with potential for plus power and a fringe average hit tool. How is that not top 10 in our system?